CHESS: MANILA- Wesley So leads US to knockout quarters in Online Chess Olympiad

MANILA, Philippines – Cavite-born Wesley So bucked some late troubles to steer the United States to topping Pool D of Division I and secure a berth straight to the knockout quarterfinals of the first FIDE Online Chess Olympiad late over the weekend.

Trusted into the top in the absence of World No. 2 Fabian Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura, the 26-year-old, Minnetonka, Minnesota-based So did what he can do to help the Americans rule their bracket.

The US actually wound up tied for first with Greece with 15 points apiece but the 2016 Baku Olympiad titlist had the higher tiebreak score and took the group win and an automatic slot to the quarters set Friday.

But the heavily favored Americans had to survive a surprise 2.5-3.5 defeat to the Polish in the seventh round and a 3-3 draw with the Peruvians in the eighth with So falling to GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda and splitting the point with Emilio Cordova.

The US’ 5.5-.5 drubbing of Canada in the last round helped it seal the deal.

US thus will wait for their foes in the quarters alongside Pool A topnotcher India, Azerbaijan of Pool B and Russia of Pool C while the preliminary knockout round matches set Thursday are being played.

The Philippines, led by Mark Paragua, and FIDE Master Sander Severino, a world champion for the physically disabled, and his IPCA squad failed to come out from Division and were eliminated.